Not if, when
by pinkmink
Summary: When she returned from the Catacombs she knew she was different - what she didn't anticipate was the change in Crane. Short fluffy Ichabbie ficlet set before last two episodes.
_A/N - This another short story taking place sometime after the catacombs and before the loss of Joe. Was going to remain unpublished until Abbiepocolypse, and now I need to remember them like this, so I finished it. Hope it fills you with Ichabbie good vibes!_

* * *

The sound of the microwave beeping startled her awake, and she stretched her neck, pained from drifting asleep at the wrong angle. Abbie found herself tightly wound into a ball on the couch, the throw bundled around her in such a way as if she were a small child. Clearly a certain captain had decided she needed "tucking in". It would be endearing if it wasn't so freaking hot - moving her arms she broke free giving those warm aching muscles a stretch as well. She suddenly caught a waif of popcorn as Crane strode back into the room, armful of an overflowing bowl and a fresh bottle of red wine.

"You tryin' to get me drunk, Crane?" Her words were sassy though Abbie was in truth grateful - her day had been so long and she, for once, had nowhere to be on Saturday. These days between work and witnessing it seemed she felt like she was on a hamster wheel, nearly losing her footing. Catching a little buzz sounded perfect. Buzz then sleep.

He made a face like he was insulted but raised his eyebrows at her. "Miss Mills, I suspect it is you who is trying to get me drunk. The second bottle was at your request."

"Well I was only half joking…" she murmured but watched as his long fingers grasped the bottle, pouring generously and then brushing against her own as he handed her the glass.

"Should I return the rest -"

"No! No.." she changed her tone, softer, less gruff. "No you're right, I did say I wanted another bottle. I haven't had a decent buzz since-" she stopped herself too late, and his expression changed. Dammit - he always looked so guilty. Like her time away had been his doing, instead of her own.

"Of course, you'd want to-"

"Stop!" She said harsher than she meant then paused, carefully setting the glass on the coffee table, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She needed to say this right. "Look, I'm only going to say this once. I'm a grown ass woman and I walked into that tree. It was my call. I'm a soldier in this fight just like you are." Abbie opened her eyes to see his expression had changed to one of surprise. "So please Crane, stop acting like it's your fault I was there."

He seemed to consider her for a moment - the longer his expression bored into hers, the more she wanted to run from the room. Well, grab the bottle of wine, then run. Since her return his gaze seemed to linger longer and stronger, and it filled her with more emotions than she could count - perhaps the strongest being a profound sense of heat.

"Abbie - " he began, reaching for her hand - and she let him take it. "I never meant to imply with my actions or words that you are at all anything besides my equal in this fight we find ourselves in." Finding her fingers he laced them with his own. "But I do hold myself responsible for how long you found yourself in that hell. If I had only discovered the secret earlier, I could have prevented your prolonged exposure..."

She pulled her lips back into a sad smile. It wasn't often he used her name - she had clearly struck a nerve. This new Crane that hung on her every word was both endearing and annoying. She loved the way he spoiled her - but hated feeling like she could crush his spirit so easily. In coming back to the real world she realized how much she had unintentionally depended on his fighting spirit to keep her going - even if it was his imagined fighting spirit talking back to her in the place of never ending day.

"Crane, I didn't break then - and I won't break now." Abbie replied quietly, squeezing his hand and straightening herself. She had changed into an oversized sweatshirt and yoga pants earlier to get comfy but as she leaned forward to grab her glass of wine, the sweater shifted to fall off her shoulder. Comfortable as she was in his presence she paid it no mind, but his eyes darted instantly to the exposed skin. It was as if in seeing it he remembered himself and he released her hand and sat back against the couch.

"Of course, Lieutenant." He smirked. "You have done tremendously since you return and I would have expected nothing less from a woman of your caliber."

"Besides, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?" Trying to lighten the mood she picked up the remote and flipped on the TV. "And I'm pretty sure another bottle of wine won't kill us!"

"Indeed." He replied, glancing at the screen and raising an eyebrow. "And what will we be pairing with our Pinot with this evening?"

"I'm so behind. In everything..." She murmured, flipping through their Netflix que. "But I need to laugh - oh my God!" She roared with laughter as she made her choice and started the episode.

"Now this show-" she began, and he looked at her in earnest, eyes shining. "Well, see there was this show that Jenny and I grew up watching every Friday night called Full House. It's about this enormous family and it was cheesy as hell, but we just loved it. Two uncles, a dad, three sisters - every week they got into some trouble and every week the love they had for each other just solved their problem. Growing up, just the two of us," she paused, fidgeting with her hands. "I guess we watched because we envied what they had. That whole big family dynamic."

"Perhaps it wasn't that you and Miss Jenny envied the love in the family so much as were learning to emulate it with each other." Crane surmised, finishing his glass and leaning forward to pour another. "Stories indeed teach us how to relate to one another - and the love between the sisters Mills is one for the record books to be certain."

Abbie smiled and nuzzled back against the couch, their shoulders lightly touching. She felt a warm blush crawl up her face at his compliment - or was that just the pinot? "Very true. Anyway I heard that they were making a sequel to it with the sisters all grown up - but I sort of lost track of it, with all that's been going on."

"Perhaps you should wait, and watch it with your sister?" Crane suggested, a hint of disappointment underlying his tone.

Feeling a little bolder perhaps from nearing the bottom of her third glass of wine, she winked at him. "Nah - I think this is an important part of your pop culture training."

"Very well."

They must have watched three horrendously cheesy episodes before they realized just how drunk they had become. Abbie started laughing so hard at something in the show that she threw her head back at an angle, slamming it into Crane's shoulder.

"Ooof!" He grunted as she turned in amused shock, pausing her giggles.

"Oh! Are you okay?"

His face went from pleasantly buzzed to suddenly - his neck went limp, eyes closed and tongue flopped out of his mouth. His hands shot to the place on his shoulder she had bumped.

"Oh!" He cried in melodramatic distress, his brows furrowed. "Oh! Lieutenant how you have wounded me to my core! My life is but extinguished! You have betrayed our sacred bond and have dealt the mortal blow!"

"Well, that was easier than I thought it would be." Abbie grinned broadly, incredibly amused. A goofy Crane? Even in her inebriated state she delighted at his change. Playing along she shrugged, feigning disinterest. "Here I go up against the mighty, legendary Ichabod Crane and turns out he can be killed by a simple shoulder wound. Hardly seems worth the trouble."

"Oh ho!" He snapped his head back up and wriggled his eyebrows mischievously at her. "I was only but faking my own death so you wouldn't suspect - my surprise attack!" He launched himself at her, pinning her against the couch with a ravenous grin. She cried out in laughter, quickly losing her balance as her head fell heavily against the cushions.

He stayed pinned above her, breathing heavily in his excitement as their mirthful expressions faded to meaningful. Abbie felt her stomach leap - the last time he had looked at her like that was in the lab some weeks ago, following her return to civilization. He had held her hands with such tenderness and she knew - something had changed between them in their separation. Their bond had always been transparent and she had long known he cared for her deeply, but now found while looking in his eyes that it was much more than that. He wanted her. Romantically.

A sudden surge of adrenaline pumped through her veins and brought some clarity to her boozy thoughts. The torch she had carried for him for so long had long been put on the back burner for practical reasons. Romance only makes complications. They don't need complications. They need to save the world. _Take a beat, think this through_.

"Abbie" He breathed, hot and inches from her face, interrupting her thoughts. That tiny sober part of her mind screamed at her to move, to keep things light and airy - but her baser instincts, the one's that had noticed his lean figure and otherworldly blue eyes from the moment they met - whispered their need. Begged her to give in, finally just let go. Coaxed her full lips apart as she let out a short breath.

His eyes flew to her lips at their movement, then back into her striking brown eyes. He seemed to be struggling internally, and finally closed his eyes before speaking strained soft words.

"When I kiss you, Abigail Mills, it shall not follow heightened states of inebriation." He opened them again and bore into her. "Such a moment demands clarity of mind if only to lay to memory every second."

"When?" She could hardly help the question escaping as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest, the word exposing her like a live wire.

He seemed shocked at her reply, then smiled tenderly, knowingly. "When." he answered.

Pushing himself up he reached down to pull her up with him. The rush of it all made her slightly dizzy, and she rolled her head back sleepily before regaining composure.

"I think we've had enough - for tonight." She murmured, feeling a little embarrassed but smiling slightly as she rose up - the immediately back down. Way too drunk…..shit….

"We both seem to have overindulged." He replied, standing swiftly and bending over, picking her small frame up effortlessly. Evidently their moment had served to sober him up more than she felt - or it could be that they had had exactly the same amount of wine, but he was a foot taller than she.

"Hey!" She protested but he cling more tightly to her.

"Let me care for you Lieutenant." He grumbled against her hair, shutting the lights off as he carried her up the stairs. She could feel the sleep coming rapidly, and as he laid her down gently her brain had nearly shut down all of it's vital functions until there was only Crane - and sleep.

"Wait." Abbie grabbed at his sleeve as he began to walk away, the last of her coherent thoughts needing to be said. "We're not done - with - the talking."

"No." He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, before leaving her side reluctantly. "I suspect not."

* * *

Abbie awoke before dawn, the edges of a headache encircling the back of her brain. In the darkness she could see the outline of a glass of water by the light of her digital clock. Evidently Crane had set it there, though she was somewhat worried that she'd been too drunk to not catch someone next to her bed. Still, it was incredibly thoughtful - which is so terribly Crane.

She downed the glass and needed another - with a groan she left the comfort of her soft bed to seek out water. Taking quick stock of her body she realized she didn't feel as bad as she probably could have. The thoughts of the night before came slowly back to her until she remembered what he said about a kiss and her stomach clenched. He hadn't said _if_ he kissed her - he said _when_. Like his mind was already made up, and the only question was time. The words had been said with a pointed heat that now only fueled the fire she had been trying to desperately to contain.

Her thoughts seemed to jump start her heart as she climbed down the stairs, then came to a stop at the last one. In the living room sat Crane, slumped over the couch with a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare in his lap - his go-to book when he couldn't sleep. He looked so peaceful, quiet breaths and the ticking of the clock the only sounds in the room.

 _When_ , she repeated to herself. His little confession felt like the tip of an iceberg. But he sat posed there - he was too respectful of their partnership, too careful to jump. And if she were being honest it was probably the best call. It was also absolutely maddening. After all, what's the worst that could happen? They're both adults after all - this isn't unlike a workplace romance. Her thoughts shifted to Danny and she grimaced. But in the end, he didn't respect her like Crane did and that really made all the difference in the world as far as she was concerned. The little justifications calculating in her head lead her towards the sofa.

Sitting next to him, she reached her hand over to cup his chin. She could remember the softness of his beard when she held him (and nearly lost him, to her own foolishness) on the floor of that lab- but now his cheeks were flush with color. Daringly, she ran her thumb along his bottom lip, and he seemed to smile a little in his sleep. He was utterly intoxicating - such a complicated man. They were in nearly every way opposites, by personality and frankly by gender role. By all accounts they shouldn't work at all, but their mutual admiration and respect made them hum in complete symmetry. He stirred slightly at her touch but she didn't move - and as he opened his eyes he smiled, the first of the morning light coming through the blinds and illuminating their faces.

"Good morning." He said softly, reaching his hand up to rest on hers, still on his face. In that moment she made a decision, for the both of them - if they never try she will always regret it. But oh, if they worked….

"If you're looking for a 'when' Crane, this is a perfect time."

His eyes widened and then understood, leaning forward swiftly and catching her bottom lip in a sweet kiss. They took a sharp breath of the same air and fell against each other as something truly amazing began.


End file.
